Our Mission

The Intention Behind This Could Be PHX

Have you ever walked down a Phoenix street and seen an empty lot or vacant building and thought to yourself: “That could be a …grocery store…residential complex……restaurant in a historic building……elementary school…”

The ideas can go on and on! This Could Be PHX was founded to spark an optimistic conversation that will fill in the blanks and re-imagine our city’s future, specifically life in the Downtown core.

We are a community engagement and urban awareness group with a love for Downtown Phoenix. We always say “we’re so non-profit we’re not even a real non-profit” because this is a passion project for us apart from our full time jobs. Want to learn more about who’s behind these pages? Come get to know us.

This Could Be PHX provides a creative platform for the community to envision the city we all want and start a constructive discussion in order to plant the seeds of our future. If you have any idea for an article or project – we want to hear from you! This Could Be PHX is your platform – we want to share your ideas with our audience.

Our goals are simple: envision, educate, and inspire. Join us to help raise awareness about urban living and sustainability in Phoenix through monthly envisioning projects, educational blogs, and inspirational showcases.

An Interview with the Co-Founders

Quinn Whissen, and Ryan Tempest of This Could Be Phoenix, discuss how they actively engage the local community stakeholders to build a better Phoenix. Filmed and produced by Douglas Proce of Connected Films.

Our Goals

ENVISION

We will showcase “Envision Projects” (of our own and from the community) to show the potential that our city has lying underneath the surface just waiting to be tapped into. Maybe it’s a vacant lot turned into a field of sunflowers or a forgotten building transformed into a local clothing shop. The potential for change is endless and we hope to ignite the Creative Class (designers, architects, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers and entertainers) that is becoming the driving force in revitalizing Downtown.

EDUCATE

We believe being informed and educated is the first step towards change and growth. By examining different topics on our blog surrounding urban living and sustainability (bike lanes, coffee culture, walkability, public spaces, etc), we hope to raise awareness of the health, economic and environmental benefits that arise from an urban lifestyle. Millennials are increasingly ditching the old ‘American Dream’ of a house in the suburbs for the new American Dream – urban living. We are in full support of this trend and want people to understand why it is occurring and why it should be promoted and encouraged for not only Millennials but across all generations.

INSPIRE

Phoenix isn’t alone in our efforts to revitalize the urban core. Many other cities around the nation such as Denver, Austin, and Portland are doing just the same, and we can take what they’ve done, learn from them and be inspired by their work. Plus, Phoenix has many people working to do the same and spotlighting their ideas can help fuel the creative momentum within Phoenix. From Roosevelt Row to Co+Hoots and Local First, creative people are stepping up and helping Phoenix rise from the shadows. We have the talent and potential to one day become a world class city and we hope to inspire the change needed for this vision to become a reality.